Washington County Fair offers up down-home, deep-fried family fare

It came in second to Del’s Lemonade in The Journal’s summer bracket contest. But the folks at the Washington County Fair seem just fine with that.“It’s not too shabby,” said Pete Fish, the event’s longtime...

It came in second to Del’s Lemonade in The Journal’s summer bracket contest. But the folks at the Washington County Fair seem just fine with that.

“It’s not too shabby,” said Pete Fish, the event’s longtime chair.

Of course, it’s a little hard to compare a cup of lemony slush to a summer institution that attracts 100,000 people over five days filled with music, rides and food.

The fair, which sets up shop each August on a 120-acre rolling tract of land on Route 112 in Richmond, got underway yesterday with fireworks and a concert by the country band Parmalee. And it’s back in business today with an oxen-pull, motorcycle races and more country music from songwriter Cole Swindell, best known for his 2013 breakout hit, “Chillin’ It.”

Activities continue through Sunday, ending with the traditional tug-o-war, when more than 50 teams try to drag one another into a huge mud pit. The event, the grand finale, takes about four hours, and is one of the biggest attractions, said Fish.

Teams are divided into men and women, lightweight and heavyweight.

“Last year the six men on the heavyweight team weighed a total of 2,400 pounds,” he said. “And I think the women weighed about the same.”

If you haven’t been to the Washington County Fair, it offers a slice of bygone America, where you can catch livestock shows and a pie-eating contest or horseshoe toss.

Fish said the mission of the fair, run by the Washington County Pomona Grange, is to “promote the rural way of life,” as well as provide a place for “wholesome” entertainment.

It also hosts about three-dozen nonprofit organizations — from fire companies, to churches, Boy Scout troops and little league teams — who raise about $500,000 each year selling food and crafts. Two dozen food booths hawk everything from Portuguese delicacies to fried Oreos and pickles.

“We sell anything you can throw into a fryolator,” said Fish, a podiatrist who raises cows and sheep on his West Greenwich farm.

Last year’s fair was the biggest ever, with 45,000 paying attendees. But when you count kids, who get in free if they’re under 10, and legions of volunteers, the figure is closer to 100,000, said Fish.

People come from as far away as Pennsylvania and Ohio — with one family making the trek each year from New Jersey because they can’t find similar entertainment closer to home — at least not for a $10 admission price.

“We get people who show up in Mercedes and BMWs,” said Fish, “and people who drive tractors and pickup trucks. We get a mix. There’s something for everyone.”

Fish, who’s 58, began volunteering when he was about 15 and has been involved with the event ever since, logging three decades on the organizing committee and 17 summers as chair.

So, what’s the draw? It’s about helping raise money for the community, he said, and seeing the look on the face of a child who just won a ribbon for their prized bunny.

“It certainly isn’t the money,” he said.

The fair, which began in 1967 in the Perryville section of Wakefield before moving to Richmond two years later, opens most mornings at 9 with livestock shows. Local bands take to the portable stage in the afternoon, with the country stars performing at night on the main stage, set up in front of a natural amphitheater in a pine grove.

Fans bring chairs, blankets and a picnic. Alcohol is not allowed.

All the country acts this year have been imported from Nashville and have made names for themselves, like David Nail, who performs tomorrow. He’s had a number of top-10 hits, said Fish.

Pulling contests take place each day with motorized vehicles, and there are animal pulls, as well. And Sunday afternoon at 2, riders man their souped-up lawnmowers for a race that hits speeds of 30 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, there’s a midway for the kids featuring New England’s largest portable roller coaster and a new high-flying swing attraction known as “Vertigo.” Today and tomorrow are children’s days, when kids can buy a ride bracelet for $25, $30 including the roller coaster.

But there are also lots of free children’s activities, said Fish, including an appearance by Ronald McDonald and Lucky Bob, a magician.

The Battle of the Fishermen, a big attraction when introduced last year, begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and runs throughout the day. Fishermen, who are dragged about the grounds in a boat pulled by a tractor, have to band lobsters, shuck scallops, mend nets and pick up crabs while blindfolded, said Fish.

“It’s all the cable fishing shows rolled into one,” he said.

Not all acts have survived the changing times, though. The annual dung throwing contest is out this year, said Fish, because of health and insurance concerns. And the tobacco-spitting contest has been replaced by a watermelon seed spitting event.

“It’s no longer politically correct,” Fish said of the tobacco-spitting smackdown. “We had people who weren’t chewers who would swallow it and get sick.”

But the rooster crowing contest is back in the show barn tomorrow at 4 p.m., with the most vocal rooster strutting away with the prize. Fish said some people keep their birds in the dark to make them think it’s just before dawn.

But the reigning champ is a 6-year-old girl who trained her rooster to crow each time she asked, “Who’s a pretty little boy?” That resulted in a symphony of squawks that blew away the competition.

“She won hands down,” Fish said.

The 48th annual Washington County Fair takes place on the Washington County Fairgrounds on Rte. 112 in Richmond. There’s free parking for about 4,000 cars on the fairgrounds, and space for another 2,000 cars on nearby Kenyon Hill Road, where there’s shuttle-bus service. Admission is $10. Hours are roughly 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For complete details, visit washingtoncountyfair-ri.com.